#so er

[daydreamingoncloud9]

Nagi Seishiro: A Divergent Path

Spoilers for Chapters 1, 2, 117, 147, 254, 280, 281, 295, 298, 299 & 300 of Blue Lock and Chapters 2, 3 & 4 of Blue Lock: Episode Nagi.

Similar to my last post on Nagi & Reo, this post is also not necessarily a shipping post, but because I do ship nagireo, it might colour my analysis on them, so fair warning. »»————- ⳮⷤ ── ⲇ ── ⳮⷤ ————-««

With the release of the new chapters, I wanted to bring up an interesting parallel I noticed that helps strengthen the theory that Nagi and Reo's journey together will not end here. In fact, I think this parallel just helps to cement that they will continue to diverge from the rest, even with this recent failure.

To start, I think it is beneficial to establish that Nagi and Isagi are meant to be foils in the story and they often have scenes that parallel each other in key ways.

Many others have already pointed these parallels out before, but for argument's sake, I will list some of them down regardless.

Isagi's ego flaring after he shoots on his own vs Nagi's ego flaring after he sees Reo

2. Isagi being the first to enter Blue Lock vs Nagi (& Reo) being the last

3. isagi scoring the final goal of the U-20 match vs Nagi scoring the first goal

4. Isagi being classified as a "world-style" talented learner vs Nagi who is classified as a "self-style" genius

5. And most recently, Isagi who was at the top of the winners' bracket vs Nagi who was at the top of the losers' bracket

Even their designs are meant to be foils of each other wherein Isagi is short (relatively), has a weaker physical build and a darker colour palette vs Nagi's who's tall, has a stronger physical build and a lighter colour palette.

There are surely plenty more parallels you can find throughout the series, but with this, I hope that I manage to successfully establish that there is a pattern going on and this makes the next parallel I'm going to draw up quite interesting.

So!

Going back to the Blue Lock Entrance Test, I want to zoom in on what Ego considers to be "the egotism of a striker".

The idea that in this instance, a striker is someone who "tries to defeat someone stronger than themselves", "goes after the strongest one" and has an "obsession with their own victory which can't be swayed by others' common sense" is fascinating because it describes both Bachira and Isagi, yes, but it also describes someone who ended up losing despite following that doctrine: Nameoka Ryo.

In these few pages alone, we can see that Nameoka fulfills all the criteria of the "striker" that Ego is looking for. Not only is he purposefully going after the people who he perceives as the strongest, he is doing so despite it being seen as rather illogical because of the risk that he is willingly undertaking by focusing on no one else but Nagi and Reo.

Now you can argue that this definition of a striker's "egoism" is rather shallow because the idea has evolved and expanded over the course of the story, and yes I agree. But in the context of these specific scenes, we are being told that this way of playing is the "correct" way because of how it aligns with Ego's words (whose words are often law). Therefore, Nameoka, in these scenes, is considered the "ideal striker".

So what does it mean when the "ideal striker" loses?

In my opinion, having Nameoka lose, and making it so that Nagi is the one that causes him to lose is a purposeful narrative decision to help support the idea that ultimately, despite being in opposition to Isagi's route and therefore against Ego's ideals, Nagi's (and Reo's) path is valid.

Even the fact that Reo was saved by Nagi here is relevant because of how it supports the validity of their divergent path.

Circling back to Kira's elimination for a second, we see that Ego condemns Kira because when the ball hit him, he "gave up and accepted his defeat" and in his eyes, this is what it means to "run away" from the egotism of a striker and that is why he lost.

And what is interesting here is Kira's acceptance of defeat parallels Reo's acceptance of defeat. Notice that just like Kira, Reo was prematurely thinking about his defeat under the hands of another player (Zantetsu) and was blind to the options that he had after being hit.

This is why the "5 seconds" timer was placed behind Reo as it illustrates how he had turned his back on other options except defeat even though there was plenty of time for him to think of a back-up plan, especially considering how Reo had significantly more time than Kira did (1 second vs 5 seconds).

If we were to follow the original scenario, this would have been the end of Reo and consequently, the end of Nagi and Reo's joint path, but Nagi literally interrupts this narrative and denies its unfolding.

And not only does he deny it, he also manuevers The Egoist's plot device (the ball) to eliminate Ego's "ideal striker", cementing the fact that their path, while divergent from Ego's, is a valid path to take because it succeeds.

I think we have to question why Kaneshiro-sensei and Nomura-sensei felt that it was important for Nameoka (again, the "ideal striker) to be eliminated after Nagi reaffirms his determination to stay with Reo (and therefore reaffirming their partnership) and after Reo is shown to have run away from a striker's egoism.

I truly believe it is to showcase that Nagi and Reo's partnership and joint path, despite all the ups and downs, will prevail and even succeed in usurping the "ideal" egoists in the end.

It's just a matter of looking at all the options and not admitting defeat.

[ravenclod]

CRINGETOBER DAY 20 : TUMBLR SEXYWOMAN

> so i did some research and jessie was on the list of girlies !! so ofc i had to draw her, the icon the legend forever and ever. this was quite fun BUT OH MY GOSH HER HAIR. KILLED ME. anywayz i hope u like it !! rlly simple but tbh i was very lacking ideaz (/_\;)

[realguitarcenter]

eermm!! official face reveal guys woowwwza 🔥🔥🗣️🗣️

most of them are dark but fun fact! i have blue eyes

sorry guys. i’m cursed with a really bad baby face. i look 5. erm

[hopefuladdictions]

Wake up. Think of grimmjow. Go back to bed.... I think my friends are tired of it but that blue cat has infected my brain so bad. It makes me want to make poor financial decisions..... it's so hard to get merch of him and most merch is in Japan only so maybe that's a good thing for my bank account..... regardless I will be drawing this blue cat very soon....take this not serious offering....

[somnonia]

Uhm

Saving this post for when i get off my lazy ass and write something here

[monstermonger]

~3 months traveling in my wife’s home-country -> 100 journal pages

[spectraling]

"They're soulmates" oh it's way worse than that

~ quote from marsadist

[badkarma1998]

heard we were drawing localized Mikus, so here's Colorado Miku

CSU version and More Mile High Miku

(meme version under the cut)

Disclaimer: I was born in Casa Bonita so I'm allowed to make fun of myself (I am currently high and hoping this is funny)

[papajoolia]

drew my roommate's cat as a knight for her for christmas, his name is ghost pepper

[elisabethdeep-blog]

Reread Equal Rites recently. I used to think it was about feminism and little girls getting the same opportunities as little boys. Which, it isn't not about that. But ALSO.

It's about an intersex kid.

It's about a little girl born with a staff.

And that's Not Right.

The adults in the room- her father, the 'medical professional'- attempt to remove the staff, by blade and by fire. The fresh little baby SCREAMS. So they agree to pretend it doesn't exist. She'll probably grow up just a regular little girl.

right?

But just around the onset of puberty..... it becomes apparent, not to her, but to the adults, that she's not going to be Regular.

The medical professional tries again to rectify matters. She tries to destroy the staff while the girl is unconscious. The girl screams. The adults give in. They aren't monsters.... but life will be so much harder, so much less foreseen, for this strange little girl....

They try to raise her 'right'.

If she won't be a conventional woman... maybe an unconventional woman. A Powerful woman- in the way that women can be powerful. Are permitted to be powerful.

But she's not a woman- she's a child. What will she be, when she's grown? A Witch. A Wizard. She can't be either. She can't be neither.

(The term 'warlock' is repeatedly invoked and scoffed. The etymology of 'warlock' is 'breaker of oaths'. Counter to the covenant. Rulebreaker.)

Right.

[ashoss]

before starting this i actually said ‘wow its been a while since ive drawn jason, i should do a jason sketch page’ and it somehow turned into this. maybe hell get his sketch page soon

[hyolks]

al's the kinda guy to wear sweater vests and oxfords <3

[mo49ko]

happy fengqing new year 2025 !!!

i post this late because i started drawing it after new years 😂

do you like their new outfits? i think that mq would insist to wear something nice for those occasions and would make fx matchy with him 😚🩷

they will go back home after this to eat something warm together and kiss...hehe

i hope this year will have looots more cute fengqings and also nice treats for everyone 🩷🎇 and donghua season 3 please

[non-plutonian-druid]

[ID: A Gravity Falls comic set in dark-lord-of-awesomeness' shapeshifter Stan AU, in which Stan got stuck looking 17 because he doesn't know what his face is supposed to look like.

Stan and Fiddleford are sitting at the kitchen table.

Ford, passing by holding a cup of coffee: "What are you doing?"

Stan: "Trying to find a fake ID with a face fit to be around a kid. In case I get pulled over." He squints at his ID cards. "Andrew you're terrifying. Hal you're a creep. Madame Mystery is a weird old woman… Mr. Mystery is a weird old man…"

Ford, pouring a cup of coffee: "Why don't you just be yourself?" Then aside, "Hm. That sounded more like an inspirational children's cartoon than I intended."

Stan: "Well the ID with this face on it expired years ago, and I refuse to admit I'll be stuck with it long enough to need a new one."

Ford, grimacing and sipping his coffee: "What about your face? The right age? Why do you need to be someone else?"

Stan, looking away uncomfortably: "Look your options are this face, which I don't have a drivers license for, someone else, which I do, or you." He points at Ford. "Your face. Me pretending to be Stanford Pines."

Outside of the panels, text reads 'the classic Stan "points at you and said something rude" deflection tactic'

Fiddleford: "We do have a license for that face!"

Stan: "See? Listen to your boyfriend."

Fiddleford: "I am NOT his boyfriend."

Stan: "Whatever you say, guy whose name no one has told me." End ID.]

im home from work bc i Got Injured so im indulging myself by finishing and posting an incredibly noncanonical joke i made about @dark-lord-of-awesomeness's shapeshifter Stan AU (fic here). stan has since learned fiddleford's name unfortunately, but i love to bully him.

[sorry about no id but i injured my hand and typing this took a really long time] EDIT! i added an ID! In retrospect the presence of both ID as in identification and ID as in image description is a little bit confusing and I apologize for that. Also I didn't actually type it, I tried out my computer's voice to text, which made making this much easier! because I still only really have one hand

bonus: things i couldnt make them say but which theyre thinking anyway

[ID: Two panels from the above comic, one of Ford's face and one of Stan's face. Behind Ford, text reads: "He doesn't want to stick around. I abandoned him and he left and found his real family and I lost my chance to be his brother." Behind Stan, text reads: "I can't look 28 because I don't know what I look like and if I make it up then I'm turning Stan Pines into a character but he's NOT a character he's me." End ID.]

[siryyeet]

ÖHRWURM??? KÖNNT IHR EINMAL IN EUREM LEBEN BITTE UMLAUTE RICHTIG BENUTZEN???

[noahwhyle]

Los Angeles Times | Very Important Questions with Noah Wyle